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IF

If I am fanatical, they are fanatical. (I am not dead; they are not dead.)

or should I say,

If I were fanatical, they were fanatical. (even if I am not dead; they are not dead.)

(Is it OK to use "were"/past tense even if I (am? were?) not dead or someone else is not dead?)

If I (start? started?) the sentence with "If I were" should the succeeding clause/phrase be in the past tense? (Can the succeeding clause change into a different tense, for example, present tense? I don't think so.)

?Is it wrong to say:

If I choose (present tense) to do good then ... (Is there a correct situation where I can use the present tense?)

?should the previous sentence be in the past tense:

If I chose to do good then ... (should all constructions of IF be in the past tense? never present tense? how about the future tense?)

Re: IF

If I am fanatical, they are fanatical. (I am not dead; they are not dead.) or should I say, If I were fanatical, they were fanatical. (even if I am not dead; they are not dead.)

First, fanatical means excessively enthusiastic. The meaning 'not dead' is a new one on me. :) Second, I'd say "When I am fanatical, they (too) are fanatical)". In the case of "If", I'd say "If I am fanatical, then they (too) are fanatical."

Conditionals1st conditional:
A. (Present Tense, will infinitive)
If I choose to work, I will work.

But, if we delete the 'to be' part, which refers to the future, then both "I" and "they" are dead:

If I am dead, then they too are dead.

Here are two other forms:

If I was dead, then they (too) would be dead.
=>Past Tense, would+infintive (No one is dead)
=>2nd Conditional

If I were dead, then they (too) would be dead.
=>Past Tense, would+infinitive (No one is dead)
=>Subjunctive (i.e. hypothetical situation)

Note, there are two verbs that look like 'were'. One is the past tense of the verb BE (e,g, I was, You were) and the other is the subjuntive form of the verb BE.

Originally Posted by david

If I (start? started?) the sentence with "If I were" should the succeeding clause/phrase be in the past tense? (Can the succeeding clause change into a different tense, for example, present tense? I don't think so.)

First, please notice the sentence structure:

"If I start the sentence with 'If I were', should the succeeding clause be in the past tense?"
=> Present Tense, should+infintive
=> 1st Conditional

Second, remember that 'were' in the context below is the subjunctive verb BE. It follows the rules for 1st Conditional verbs: were, would+infintive.

EX: If I were you, I wouldn't go there.
EX: If I were rich, I would buy a house.

Originally Posted by david

Is it wrong to say: If I choose (present tense) to do good then ... (Is there a correct situation where I can use the present tense?)

Yes. It's fine. It's the 1st Conditonal:

Superman: If I choose to do good, the World will be better off.

Use "If (present tense)" to talk about a condition in the future.

Originally Posted by david

should all constructions of IF be in the past tense? never present tense? how about the future tense?

All construction of "If" should not be in the past. The future is expressed by the pair "If+Present Tense Verb, will+infinitive", like this: